Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-04-12
GIGANTIC ROBBERY.
Employees Of . Railroad
Trapped in System
attic Thieving.
Detective Work Carried
on Quietly for Years.
A Disastrous Riot Among
the Foreign Colonists
in Denver.
BIalne's CoadItioa-snaIlpox IN Chlea-
ge-Awardfng HAN contraets-
Young RepahlIsAas Of PhEladsl-
pAia-Cls&rancea-A Special
Meetiag-A Reversal.



Giant RafiFsaa Rsbbing Scheme.
PrrrssURo (Psnn.). April 1I.-Ths
detectives have inzt 1naarthsd q a.
gantio conspiracy for the ro6binQ on
tbs Pan Handle Railroad Company.
Nearly half q million dollarB worth oi
freight IL said - have been carried Of
BY the plunderers and their toola Most
of the man involved In the plot are con.
duotoFs and hrakemen In the employ Of
the railroad company. A concerted raid
was begun on the boarding places and
homes of the Pan Handle railroad con-
daotors and bEakemen by squad cam-
posed Of 100 policemen, detectives and
c0nstables. Al 1:l5 o'clock q number
Of prisoners were escorted 30 jail from
their homes. At o'clock this morning
"A conductors and brakamen were locked
ap In the eounty jail. one wing OF which
has been especially set apart for their
accommodation. The early trains from
the West we're held in the yard By the
display OF red signals from the block ct
FoFty-eiRhth evenue. The oftcers
boarded the train and knowing the men
that we're wanted they promptly secured
them and marched them of 10 Jail.
Ne train arrived that did not lose one
or more men fromits crew. Jna. Hamp-
ten, attorney for the Pennsylvania CON-
psuy, was seen this morning in the
Office of detective agency where he
was sitting amidst heterogeneous col
lection Of plunder. He said thai these
robberies had been oarrisd on system
sticaIly for several years. The company
has long been aware that there vas .
leakage somewhere. and as sariy ~ Sep
tembeE. 1886, they quietly commenced
investigations. Detectives we're placed
on the trains where goods could be
watched and the thieves detected. I'VE
had already discovered that the culprits
we're employees Of the company. and in
September there we're eighty crews Of
freight trains on the Pan Handle rail
road coming into PittsbuFR. or these
eighty crews. no less than seventy-hve
we're found to be crooked. A crew CON-
sists Of conductor, hagman and tive
brskemen.
"In some cases all the men were in
volved and in others only part. The
statement that the engineers and fire.
men were mixed up in the robbery is
wrong. NOs q singia one ia involved.
The goods we're obtained by the thieves
in various ways. In many instances
seals were broker while In others
hatehets we're used and holes we're cut
in the end Of the cars through which
men cravled and took what they covet-
ed. Then they reported the ear In bad
claiming that the hole bad
been made by seme accident. These
were all the result Of CON-
binati0a. Their arrangements were
made and each rascal was as-
signed to his particular part Of the work
In much the same way aa q bank rob-
berry is conducted by professional
eracksmen. don't know that the
Of the combination were oath
bound or anything Of that kind bat u 70
certain there Was thorough understand
ing among them and they acted in con-
cert 90 cover eash stheE,s d0ings. Tue
things wkioh alarmed rs more than any
thing else was that they stole large
quantities Of Whiskey and drunk Il IN
the caboosea. They needed vessels 10
bold liquor % they stole milk cans to
keep 10 in. Not daring 10 keep Whiskey
openly in the cars they tore up the h00F-
ing and hid it underneath. The men
we're continually rep rted drunk on
duty and the probability Of disaster was
something friehtfnl 10 contemplate. All
kinds Of goods we're stolen, including
sewing machines. gans, revolvefs. cut
lerY, silverwaFe, cigars, clothing, liquor,
groceries, furniture, In fact, every imag
inable article that can be carried on
cars we're quietly removed. The depre-
dations were committed all along the
road and the losers reside as far west as
Denver. Agencies we're established In
this city where the stolen property was
taken and then sold, the money being
divided equally among the crews. IL 10
impossible TO give the aggregate value
Of the property stolen but IL d claimed
new that IL viii not quite reach
&a00, COO"
The arrests created the greatest sxcis-
ment among the railroad employees Of
this city. The scene about the Jail doers
this morning, where the relatives Of the
prisoners gathered to learn the cause Of
arrest, vas Of q sad description. At one
o'clock three more arrests were report
ed. They were captared at the pay car
while receiving their wages. This makes
q total Of 56 nov in Jail here and 10 is
supposed shat as many more have been
apprehended at otheR pointa along the
road. CONSERVATION prevails among
the fences aud dens where the goods
we're scattered and sold.
The arrests inclade II e0nduetors and
IS brakemsn- Seven more arrests have
been made, but tbs names have not yet
been recorded Nearly 400 warrants are
sill out. A Rumber Of houses In var
FiOus parts Of the city we're raided today
and q large quantity OF goods vas re-
covered. Every man arrested bad stol-
en- goods somewhere. Among the pEis
onega are several desperate characters
who wers wanted BY the police for otter
odensss. They were all armed and
When not taken by surprise resisted
arrest. Numbers oveFpogered them,
however, and all we're safely lodged IN
jail.
A special dispatch from Dennisan
says: The officers have arrested Jaa
and w. Coils, with several thousand
DRY goods In their possession. The AZ.
ticles we're taken from URited States
bonded Q re en- route 70 poiats wesi.n
The most important arrest Dada here
was Brakeman R0anR. He called AZ the
taM 70 SEC U0r u AlG Hdteo3Efn k4Aa
moKnfnQ aBd was immediately locked
%. AZ FIRST be protested thai be was
Innocent. but hzally admitted that be
had q large Iot Of stolen property az his
home and told hos the goods hsd eoms
info his possession. His eonfsssi0n, Il
is said. will eouviet thirteen crews
To Joseph Rsee, SPECIAL aRsat Of The
Pennsyivanis Railroad, and Deteotiv'
Gflksson. Of this city. 3 aas all ths
credit u running the thieves s0~n- Il
a. inteFyie1 With Riee this Aftefn 5oE
tie following acc0aDt Of the inosptiaE
0f the robbers. their dsteettoa, 90
nao9ass opsraaif Of their eaptnFe. etc.
wss related by him: ~TwB years aR'
ws docidsd to dispense With loeks o.
the cars and introdaosd cur present sys
ten Of seals. The ssal ~ sf lad.
absaf the sizs Of 9 Ave. cent paeoe, 9ns
10 zeozI one eighth Gf al inch In thick
nesA The vife Rss1 IN ssnneetioa witl
the ssals il oas sixtseuto Of a. inel
iroa wire. There are eaFis ID u - pre-
vent iss being CALLED shrouzh he Lea
asAi TIE msfhod of nsine Il = - fol
loWss sfhe girs Is pazssd tksozgh Cd
seal. thea thFacRh the nasp of tee ca
x.-sw ekar ksaak akrrsrmA essa annl as,nfsu